Zee Media’s production head Nasir Azmi on Sunday took to social media to claim that he has resigned in solidarity with students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University. He said that Zee News has “failed” on matters of covering JNU, Kanhaiya Kumar, Aligarh Muslim University and recently Jamia Millia Islamia.
He also tweeted the same.
Left Zee Media?
Dear Students of Jamia
Zee News failed on whether it is the matter of JNU, Kanhaiya, AMU and Jamia Millia incident. Channel has tried to mis lead the Nation especially on Jamia where students were beaten brutally after CAA act and upcoming NRC.
And then to get some validation, he tagged political parties and politicians to inform them about his step so he could get some retweets or acknowledgement.
Zee News’ Nasir Azmi’s Performance Improvement Plan letter.
Sources in the know tell OpIndia that Azmi was already put up on Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for one month as his performance was not up to the mark. As per the document shared above, his PIP was effective from 4th December, 2019 to 4th January 2020.
On 22nd December when he quit stating ‘solidarity’ with Jamia students and others protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act, one can see it was in middle of the PIP where his performance was being monitored as it was below average. The letter further stated that if his performance does not improve, this PIP letter would be considered one month’s notice period. Effectively, if he does not perform better, he would be asked to leave on 4th January 2020.
Amit Kumar Singh, Senior Producer, Zee News, took to Facebook to call out Azmi’s lies.
Singh said not only is Azmi trying to mislead Jamia students but also lying in the name of Islam. He said while everyone has a right to leave their jobs for better career prospects, the problem here is that he is taking this opportunity to portray himself as a martyr.
He further asked him if it was his conscience making him quit Zee News, why did he not quit when in 2016 they covered the JNU incident. In 2016, Communist Party of India politician Kanhaiya Kumar, who was a student leader back then, Umar Khalid, son of member of banned Islamist group SIMI and one Anirban Bhattacharya were accused of raising anti-India slogans to celebrate Parliament Attack convicted terrorist Afzal Guru’s birthday.
The results of the Jharkhand Assembly Elections have been announced. As per the results, the Congress and JMM alliance has won a comfortable majority in the state, defeating BJP.
India Today-Axis exit poll had predicted a victory for the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance. ABP News-C Voter has suggested that in case of a hung assembly, the opposition alliance may have slightly favourable circumstances to form the government.
Here are the results as per the Election Commission.
Results are per EC
The halfway mark in the Jharkhand Assembly is 41. The JMM+ alliance is comfortably over the mark with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) securing 30 seats, Congress securing 16 seats, & BJP securing 25 seats.
The results of the Assembly elections for Jharkhand are set to be declared today. The history of the state of Jharkhand is one of the short-lived governments and intermittent periods of President’s rule. There have been three such phases thus far. In fact, the BJP government with Raghubar Das as Chief Minister in Jharkhand is the first to have completed its tenure of five years since the state was created in 2000.
Babulal Marandi was the first Chief Minister of the State and he was from the BJP. The BJP remained in power until the first Assembly elections were held in the state in 2005. The first Assembly of Jharkhand was constituted on the basis of the 2000 Bihar Legislative Elections and served until the election of the next in 2005. Even before Jharkhand went to polls for the first time, it already had two Chief Ministers. Marandi served for a period of almost 2 and a half years while Arjun Munda served in the position for almost 2 years.
The Assembly that was elected after Jharkhand as a newly created state went to polls for the first time was a hung assembly. Within the next four years, Jharkhand saw four governments. The first and the fourth had Shibu Soren from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha as the Chief Minister. The second saw Arjun Munda of the BJP return as the Chief Minister for a period of one and a half years. Madhu Koda, then an independent candidate, served in the position for a period of two years. In the end, Shibu Soren, whose first stint had lasted only 10 days return for about 5 months before President’s Rule was declared in the state.
The state went to polls again in 2009. Shibu Soren’s third stint as Chief Minister lasted two days more than 5 months and then President’s rule was declared once again for the next 3 months. Arjun Munda then returned to serve as Chief Minister for 2 and a half years before President’s Rule was declared again for almost six months. Then, Hemant Soren, the son of Shibu Soren, took charge as Chief Minister for the rest of the tenure of the Third Legislative Assembly. The political instability came to an end when Raghubar Das took charge as the Chief Minister in 2014 and became the first man to serve his full term in the state.
Interestingly, Jharkhand has never had a Congress government in the history of the state’s existence. Out of the 13 times, the state changed power and/or Chief Ministers, the state had a BJP CM 5 times, President’s Rule 3 times, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha CM 4 times and once, an Independent candidate as CM.
Before BJP was elected in 2014, Jharkhand saw one its most politically unstable period.
Jharkhand CMs
From 2009 to 2014, Jharkhand had 3 different Chief Ministers and 2 periods of President’s Rule.
During the 19 years of its existence, Jharkhand has already had 6 Chief Ministers with two of them already having multiple stints on the Chair. It has also had three phases of President’s Rule.
BJP’s Raghubar Das already has the distinction of being the first CM to complete a 5-year term. If the 2019 Assembly elections do favour BJP, it will be the first time in history that any party gets a second term after completing his first. However, with Jharkhand’s history, the worst outcome for the state would be a hung assembly.
Days after rioting mob unleashed violence in Delhi, video of rioters wreaking havoc and unleashed violence in Jamia Nagar, where Jamia Millia Islamia university is located, have emerged.
Delhi Police Sources: CCTV video emerges from December 15 that shows protesters burning a motorcycle. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/QumMltnCFE
In one video, the rioting mob can be seen setting a motorcycle on fire by pouring fuel on it. Rioters can also be seen pelting stones in the background as masked men pour fuel over the motorcycle before one of them lights up a match and sets it on fire.
Delhi Police Sources: CCTV video emerges from December 15 that shows protesters siphoning petrol from a motorcycle. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/L03Zu5prhK
In another video from Delhi, the rioters can be seen stealing petrol from a motorcycle which is parked on one side even as mob continues violence in the background.
Delhi Police Sources: Visuals emerges from December 15 that shows protesters setting a DTC bus on fire. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/xdbNGfZkG3
Following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act, anti-CAA protests in Delhi and other parts had turned violent and rioting mobs took to street to bring life to a standstill.
TMC leader and a minister in Mamata Banerjee led West Bengal government Siddiqullah Chowdhury today threatened that union home minister Amit Shah will not be allowed to step out of the airport whenever he visits Kolkata, if the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not withdrawn immediately. Chowdhury is also the state president of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, and the minister of Mass Education, Library Services and Parliamentary Affairs.
The TMC leader said that the law is against humanity and the citizens of the country who are living here for ages. “We may not allow him (Shah) to step out of the city airport if necessary. We may gather one lakh people there to stop him,” he said during a protest organised by Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind against the CAA.
Chowdhury assured that the anti-CAA protests will be democratic and peaceful, and they wont resort to violence. “We don’t believe in violent protests, but we will certainly oppose CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) tooth and nail,” he said during the rally at Rani Rasmoni Avenue in Kolkata.
Attacking PM Modi for the CAA, the Bengali minister said that the “56-inch chest” of PM Narendra Modi has let down the people of the country, as he is “pursuing the politics of hatred and division”. “What they (Modi and Shah) are doing is thrusting one agenda after another on the people. They don’t believe in discussion, they don’t believe in dialogue. We won’t let them pursue this,” he added.
Mamata Banerjee and her party TMC is one of the most vocal critics of the, and the proposal to implement the NRC at the national level. The Bengal CM has even demanded an UN-monitored referendum on CAA and NRC. She had said, “If BJP has guts, it should go for a UN-monitored referendum on amended Citizenship Act and NRC,” creating a huge uproar across the country.
Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and Police action on Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University were organized at IIT-Madras on the 16th of December. During the protests, slogans such as ‘Bengal Mange Azadi’ and ‘Kashmir Mange Azadi’ were raised. It was first reported by The South Asian Express. The media outlet also reported that it was not spontaneous as was being claimed.
Students from IIT-Madras recently reached out to OpIndia and informed us of the same. Speaking to OpIndia, they confirmed that such slogans were indeed raised at the University. In addition, slogans such as “Brahmanvaad se Azadi”, “Manuvaad se Azadi” were also raised at the same protests. They also made it clear that the protests did not have permission from the Dean and yet, it was carried out anyway. Furthermore, a second ‘meeting’ was organized on the 19th, again without permission which was apparently disrupted by the administration.
Amit Anand Jha, a student of the electrical engineering department at IIT-Madras, reached out to us and told us that there was great distress among the students at the Institution over the fact the protesters were giving the impression that IIT-M as a whole was in opposition to the University. He told us that that there was no such anti-CAA sentiment in the institution and a handful of people with their motivated agenda had gone around claiming that “IIT-Madras is against CAA”.
Poster of the 16th December protest at IIT-Madras accessed by OpIndia
Jha said, “50-60 students cannot represent the entire IIT-Madras. The message they conveyed to the society is that they are students of IIT-Madras and they are against the CAA. In reality, most of them are from the Humanities department and 50-60 of them are claiming that they represent all of us. That’s not gonna happen.”
When asked if the students were from any representative bodies, Jha said, “There is this group called the APSC. Earlier, when they used to make posters under that name, not many students used to come out. So now, they just take out posters under the name of ‘Students Collective’ which is not a recognized body.” APSC is the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle. Jha told us that ‘Students Collective’ is the name of the unrecognized body being used by APSC to further its protests.
Jha also said that he had created a Google Doc and circulated it around the University to gain some idea about the mood in the Campus regarding the anti CAA protests. The Google Doc that carries the headline ‘IIT-M JUNTA With CAA & AGAINST Unauthorized PROTEST’ was signed by over a hundred students at the University from various departments. The Doc says, “As a student, its but obvious to expect that such anarchists are dealt with strong effects and an example is set to all students! Otherwise, the reputation of institute is at stake too!” It also said, “Kindly come forward to prevent the institution from becoming FUTURE JNU!”
The Google Doc circulated by Jha that has the endorsement of 118 students also calls into question the role of the media. It says, “Now, the saviours are in large numbers (around 50+) there agenda is unfulfilled unless they get national media attention. Media as it is being claimed was inside campus for a symposium happening on KV grounds. It’s fascinating to know media like NDTV, Republic TV, Times Now had turned up for symposium in KV grounds (exactly the position from where rally started). The moment sloganeering starts media jumps in from the KV grounds, wonderful arbitrariness of events, isn’t it Institute Police, was standing helpless as media was covering the entire event. Many by-passers asked for removal of blockage of road near KV grounds (aka Gajendra Circle), Institute Police had just one answer, ‘Media Sir!’.”
Poster for the gathering on the 19th of December
A student at the Institution, speaking to OpIndia on the condition of anonymity, narrated a similar series of events. He also told us that although the poster showed ‘Students Collective’, it was actually the APSC that was behind the protests. He also said that most of these students are from the Humanities department. The student was also angry at the media for how it covered the protests. “It has always been the modus operandi, bring the media and pressurize the administration. They will do this every time. The same thing happened in 2017 during the beef protests and even then, the media picked up only one side of the story.” The student was referring to the tendency of the media to blow an issue out of all proportions.
The student told us that the media appears disinterested in covering stories that contradict the leftist narrative. “There was a rally for the Pulwama Martyrs, there was a great support for it on the campus. The photos and videos were shared with all the leading media outlets but sadly, no one covered it. This is what happens, right? It doesn’t suit their agenda. It was a huge gathering, over 800 students.”
The same mood was echoed by another student on the condition of anonymity. He, too, said that the APSC was behind these protests. The student, who is currently pursuing his PhD at the University, said, “They do all these things all the time. Antinational things, anti-constitutional things, and then they call themselves the ‘Rakshak’ of the Constitution.. We want action to be taken against them. They are saying stuff like every state should disintegrate, what is this?” He said that these students are very well connected with the media and their version of events receive great coverage. He further told us, “There are some people who want to portray the Campus as Leftist. These are the same people who are behind this ‘Students Collective’, something that did not even exist until recently.”
Sarvesh Kumar from the Physics department at IIT-Madras, who was not present at home on vacation during these protests, was irritated and annoyed by the lack of awareness about the CAA among those against the Act. He said that there was a certain degree of peer pressure working in the whole thing. Kumar says that every guy wants to prove that he is ‘cooler’ than the next guy. “Some girls who may be very studious but don’t have much idea about other matters put up such statuses. Seeing them, the guys also start putting up such statuses. This is the problem.”
“I didn’t care initially but then, when I saw that this was getting out of hand, I read the Act and everything else. I was surprised by the lack of awareness regarding the Act among those who are protesting against it,” he said before continuing, “The Leftist ecosystem is still very strong you know? Sometimes, you’re just overwhelmed by all of the propaganda they run.” “I got to know of the protests from my friends. My main issue is, how can you say IIT-Madras is against CAA and NRC? I am a student here too and I fully support CAA and NRC.”
The students OpIndia spoke to were of the opinion that the overwhelming majority of the people do not really care about protests. We were told frankly that it was unlikely that many would come out and protest even in support of the CAA because most people were just too busy with their academic schedule. But they assured us that if a vote count was done, most people would actually support the CAA. We were also told that most students did not care because they knew it was a law that did not affect them in any manner but most were supportive of it.
The students were also angry with the Humanities departments and were of the opinion that they have too much free time in their hands for protests. They were also angry that a bunch of Humanities students was trying to speak as the voice of the entire institution when, in reality, they did not represent anyone but themselves. One student told us that such activities also had support from certain faculty members of the Humanities Department. They were also upset with the media for coverage that appeared to show IIT-Madras as a leftist hub. Most of all, they were greatly concerned by the fact that “seditious” slogans were being raised at the University.
The Bar Council of India has appealed to the people of the country to maintain peace and harmony, in the wake of widespread violence that is happening in several parts of the country in the name of ani-CAA protests. The Bar Council passed a resolution in this regard in a meeting held today, after which they issued a press release.
The Council makes a very significant statement by saying that people and the illiterate ignorant mass are being misled by some so-called leaders with regard to the Citizenship Amendment Act. They have said that the matter is under consideration of the Supreme Court, therefore everyone should await the decision of Apex Court, adding that people have immense faith on the Supreme Court.
The Bar Council appealed the people to disapprove provocative speeches by political leaders, and said that damage of public property and attack on the police or defence personnel are very serious issues.
As a politically charged year comes to an end, Jharkhand Assembly Elections will be declared tomorrow and the BJP government in state faces a tough time as the BJP may not register this one win to end the year on a high note. Political analyst and Jan Ki Baat CEO Pradip Bhandari, while speaking to OpIndia said that anti-incumbency may be the major factor in this.
“Anti-incumbency in the state is the main factor. Don’t be surprised if even the chief minister loses or wins with a very less margin,” said Bhandari. As per Jan Ki Baat survey, the BJP may win between 22 to 30 seats whereas Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the allies including Congress may get anything between 46 to 37 seats. Congress itself is expected to win between 10 to 15 seats in Jharkhand.
India Today-Axis exit poll too predicted a victory for the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance. ABP News-C Voter has suggested that in case of a hung assembly, the opposition alliance may have slightly favourable circumstances to form government.
Jharkhand Assembly elections, which were held in five phases, concluded on 20th December. For the 81 seat Assembly, 41 is the half-way mark. The results will be declared on 23rd December, 2019.
In a bizarre move, the students of controversial Aligarh Muslim University have expelled their Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar of the university. The students have asked them to vacate their official residences by January 5, 2020.
According to the reports, in a letter addressed to the Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor and Registrar Abdul Hamid, the office of the students at the university have asked the duo to vacate their places before January 5, 2020. The notice has been allegedly signed by the ‘students’ of the Aligarh Muslim University, the teachers and the non-teaching staff of the university.
“If the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar do not vacate their places on or before the said date, the students, teachers and the non-teaching staff would boycott the university administration until they resign and vacate their places,” reads the notice.
The students have also closed down all activity in the university until the VC and the Registrar resigns.
Students of AMU expels VC, Registrar
Earlier, the students and Muslim mob associated with the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) had unleashed violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The ‘students’ of AMU had clashed with UP Police on December 15. The police have stated that AMU students had gathered at the university campus and attacked the police officials injuring at least 6-17 policemen. The police had to fire tear gas shells.
The Uttar Pradesh Police today called out sensationalist Rana Ayyub’s bluff over the situation in Muzaffarnagar. Earlier today, Ayyub, in her inimitable style had tweeted that she is getting ‘heartbreaking calls from Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur.
Heartbreaking calls from Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur. Locals are saying RSS members alongwith cops and local leaders are attacking Muslim localities. Families are leaving for safer places. Cars and houses are being burnt. Remember the initial days of Gujarat 2002.
She said that local people she talked to are saying that RSS members along with police and local leaders are attacking Muslim localities. She alleged that cars and houses are being burnt. “Remember the initial days of Gujarat 2002,” she tried to sensationalise. In 2002, 59 Hindus were burnt alive in Sabarmati Express coach in Godhra. The ones who died were karsevaks, returning from Ayodhya.
And Narendra Modi is holding a massive rally at the Ramlila Maidan. Is 144 only for protestors ? https://t.co/Jj1xA7oLZW
She then questioned PM Modi for holding a rally in Delhi. Joining her in this was one Harun Riaz.
Last night, I spoke with several residents of MuzaffarNagar on phone. News of violence against Muslims is true. Police barged into Muslim homes, beat up people, looted valuables, specially from families, who were preparing for weddings. Violence was instigated by Baliyan, BJP MP. https://t.co/gfwAXq5MQC
Further, asking her to act responsibly, UP Police asked her to share verifiable evidence of what she was claiming so that the police could look into the matter.
Not taking things lying down, the UP Police further asked her for specific proof instead of using metaphors.
Your timeline shows nothing but police action for enforcing order. Instead of metaphors, specific proof would be appreciated.
Meanwhile, as per your timeline, a police chowki and several police vehicles were torched by the mob.https://t.co/bldj7vWsXlhttps://t.co/PSxkNZNcQL
